Ethos and Vision

School Ethos

Horspath C of E Primary School values and supports all of its members as individuals. It is a happy, welcoming and safe environment which promotes learning and self-confidence.

We are a church school:

Where children from all cultures and faiths thrive, learning skills and behaviours that will guide them their whole lives.

That underpins teaching, learning and daily school life with the Christian values of forgiveness, respect for others, truth and a sense of accountability.

Where all children from every background have the very best that the school community can give them so that they are challenged and inspired to achieve their full potential.

A school that encourages work and play across the age range so that children and staff know everyone in the school community.

A school that is a key member of our local community.

Vision for the School

Achieving Excellence

We strive to promote, create and achieve excellence throughout the school.

At the last Ofsted inspection in 2012, the school was rated “Good”. We aspire to achieve an “Outstanding” rating, but see this is a side-effect of improvements we wish to make anyway, not as an aim in itself.

We will continue to ensure that the school responds to the needs of all children, including those with special education needs and disabilities, and those on the gifted and talented register. Our goal is for every child to achieve the minimum standards defined by the government, but for as many children as possible to exceed these targets and to fulfil their own potential.We believe that parental involvement in a child’s education is an essential factor in achieving excellence. We are committed to keeping parents informed about and engaged in their children’s progress and achievement, and aim to supplement existing practises with new initiatives such as the ongoing implementation of our Pupil Tracker system.
However, we do not consider “outstanding” to apply only to academic achievement. We willencourage all children to fulfil their potential in a wide range of non-curricular activities such as sports, music and arts, and we will celebrate their achievements in these areas.

We will explore opportunities to collaborate with other local schools where these are mutually beneficial to the pupils of each school.

Governance of the School

We are a relatively small school, and despite significant demand for places, we have no current plans to expand. However, as a small village school we recognise that we must operate within the financial constraints of the income we receive, and the governing body is duty-bound to continually reassess how to ensure the school remains viable and able to provide the best quality education to its pupils.

In addition to the government funding we receive, we recognise and value the financial contribution made by the PTA and will continue to seek additional sources of income for the school to the extent that the ethos and vision are not compromised.

The governing body will regularly reassess the skills and experience it needs to continue to provide strong strategic guidance to the head teacher, and will actively seek to recruit new members who can fill any gap in these skills. We will continue to explore opportunities to collaborate with other local governing bodies, such as the Wheatley Area Learning Partnership.

Staff Development

Attracting and retaining high quality staff is a major factor in enabling the school to help pupils fulfil their potential. We will create and maintain a staffing structure that provides the opportunities for professional development through training, creating links with other local schools, and supporting study towards further qualifications. Our aim is for Horspath School to be a place where staff can progress their careers beyond the limitations a small school may typically impose.

The School, the Church and the Local Community

Horspath School welcomes children and staff of all faiths and beliefs. The school has historically had a close relationship with the Church of England which continues to this day. We will maintain and enhance this relationship, while recognising and respecting the differing beliefs of members of the school. Our aim is for children and parents of Christian faith, other religions, and those with no religious beliefs to all feel equally comfortable at the school. Any change to the governance of the school, such as academy conversion, will not fundamentally alter the school’s relationship with the Church.

We will continue to fulfil our role as an important part of the local community, taking an interest in local matters and being involved in joint initiatives and events. We aim to develop links with local businesses and other organisations, taking part in joint projects which enhance the educational experience of our pupils. We will create and maintain a register of the expertise and experience of parents of children at the school, members of the church and members of the wider community, with a view to making use of this for enrichment of the curriculum for all children.